Naletale (or Nalatale) are ruins located about 25 kilometres east of Shangani in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe and east of the Danangombe ruins.[1]
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The ruins are attributed to the Kalanga Torwa State and are thought to date from the seventeenth century, and were occupied through the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries during Rozvi rule.[2] The ruins are the remains of the capital of the Butua kingdom's Torwa dynasty. In 1960, it was declared a national monument.[3]
History
editIn the 1800s, Europeans looking for gold and treasures desecrated the site. but restoration efforts ceased in the 1980s due to a lack of funding. In 2012, it was discovered the foundations and walls faced serious risk of collapsing. Some economic and political problems in Zimbabwe significantly limited conservation efforts. Action was taken to preserve the site, however these efforts ceased in 1980 due to a lack of funding.[3]
Design
editSix decorations have been recorded on this drystone walled site, including chevrons, herringbone, cord, checkers and the use of alternating colored stone inserts.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Naletale Monument". Pindula. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Machiridza, Lesley Hatipone (1 September 2020). "Landscapes and Ethnicity: An Historical Archaeology of Khami-Phase Sites in Southwestern Zimbabwe". Historical Archaeology. 54 (3): 647–675. doi:10.1007/s41636-020-00259-z. ISSN 2328-1103.
- ^ a b "Nalatale Ruins". World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Naletale Cluster of Dzimbabwes". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 July 2024.